Eggless Fruit Cake 

Ingredients

• All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cups (maida)
• Yogurt - 1 cup (curd)
• Dark brown sugar - 1 cup
• Baking powder - 1 1/4 tsp
• Baking soda - 3/4 tsp (1/2 tsp + 1/4 tsp divided)
• Hot water - 2 tbsps
• Vegetable oil - 1/3 cup
• Vinegar - 1 tbsp
• Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
• Shah jeera powder - 1/4 tsp
• Cinnamon powder - small pinch
• Dry ginger powder - 1/4 tsp
• Clove powder - 1/4 tsp
• Nutmeg powder - small pinch
• Lemon zest - 1/2 tsp
• To prepare rum soaked dry fruits and nuts:
• Dry fruits and nuts - 1 1/2 to 2 cups (tutti frutti, dried currants, figs, dates, candied lemon & orange peel, golden raisins, preserved cherries, cashewnuts and almonds)
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg pwd
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/2 tsp clove pwd
• 3/4 cup dark rum
• 1/2 cup red wine

  Method

  1. Preheat oven to 160 C. Grease and line the bottom and sides a loaf tin with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. Sieve the flour with shah jeera powder, cinnamon powder, ginger powder, clove powder and nutmeg powder and keep aside.
  3. In a bowl, add room temperature yogurt and dark brown sugar and beat till the sugar is almost dissolved. Add baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda and vinegar and mix. Leave aside for 5 mts and you will find that bubbles/fizz appear on the top.
  4. Add the vegetable oil, vanilla essence and lemon zest and mix well. Slowly fold in the flour without over mixing. Fold the flour into the batter till it is incorporated.
  5. Sprinkle 2 tbsps flour over the rum soaked dry fruits and fold them into the batter lightly.
  6. Just before pouring the batter into the loaf tin, dissolve 1/4 tsp baking soda in 2 tbsps hot water and pour this mixture over the cake batter and fold it in with a light hand. Do not overmix or over beat.
  7. Immediately pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake at 160 C for 40 to 45 mts or till done.
  8. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 20 mts and remove from loaf tin. Bring the cake to room temperature and slice.